I'm back!
I was in a deep reading pit, but I got my writing spell back two days ago, and went into a writing pit instead!
AND HERE WE ARE!
I used some spells from The Unofficial Ultimate Harry Potter spellbook in this chapter, I hoped you'll like it!
I made one up, but it's pretty clear because it's a bullshit spell, I literally put some letters behind each other until I thought it was some kind of spell-sounding monstrosity. So, you know, have fun!
Tom's POV;
Tom was looking out of the carriage window while his Knights were silent around him. They all noticed his foul mood after Mulciber had climbed into the carriage.
Not that Tom had said anything about the stupid actions of the heir against Hadrian, but it was clear he was displeased.
The others had picked up on his mood but were too afraid to ask what was wrong.
Nott was watching him closely and would probably corner him in their dorm if they were alone, and Malfoy was with his year mates, but he would know something happened as soon as Tom sat down in his seat at the table with his court. Those two were the only ones that would dare ask him why he was reacting so strongly. And then he needed to lie to them. He couldn't tell them he knew Hadrian and only didn't interfere because he knew Hadrian could take care of himself.
Plus, it would not look good for him to protect a new student when it isn't yet clear if he's a mudblood, half-blood or pureblood.
And if the shaken expression on Mulciber's face was an indication, it was clear that Hadrian had shown his teeth.
Tom was definitely going to watch the memory as soon as possible because Hadrian had probably left an impression he desperately wanted to covet for himself.
The boy/man he had been living with for the summer was an enigma, such a powerful wizard, traveling through time, being master of Death, fit as hell, but still acting like a child most of the time.
Tom didn't know if he should envy Hadrian or be disgusted with his behavior. He didn't know if he hated the man or... well, love was a big word, but he if Hadrian offered himself, he would definitely welcome the man in his bed.
The man was clearly a Slytherin, but his Gryffindor self showed too much sometimes. That he was stupidly gorgeous was something Tom kept to himself. After they had fixed Hadrian's eyesight, his eyes became an even more prominent feature on his face. The color looked so much like the killing curse that Tom was sure he had absorbed some of the curse after being hit by it two times.
And after dueling almost every day for a month, the man was extremely fit. Not that Tom was a slouch himself, but he could not objectify himself, of course. Tom knew he looked handsome. The people that tried to get his attention because of his looks had always been many. The times he had been asked out for Hogsmeade had been too many to count, but he had turned them all down eventually.
He hated being touched by other people. The only touch he accepted was initiated by himself. It was how he manipulated some of the people that were interested in him. A soft touch to the shoulder, a brush of his fingertips on someone's cheek to brush some hair behind their ears, or a guiding hand on their backs. Most people turned to putty in his hands when he did that.
But when he thought about it, he had mostly used it on Hadrian the past month. He frowned a bit. It was a bit worrying that he had been touching Hadrian so much while he knew that the man hated his guts. Or at least still disliked him enough to never even consider warming Tom's bed. Tom was going to change that.
They had arrived at the doors, and Tom was on high alert when he saw Hadrian making his way to Dumbledore.
He knew Hadrian hated the man to the extremes, but were his Occlumency shields enough? Would Dumbledore know what their plan was? Was Dumbledore going to warn Hadrian away from Tom?
A lot of thoughts flitted through his mind, but he kept his mask on while making his way to the Slytherin table and to his seat.
Tom had explained to Hadrian that Slytherin had a Court and that he was the current King of Slytherin, he had been so since his fourth year, and he was proud of that fact. He looked out for his snakes and ensured they were safe and were at the top in their years academically. He loved that people depended on him and looked to him if they had any questions or wanted an opinion on something.
And soon Hadrian would be one of his snakes. One of his .
But not as one of the many kneeling before him. Rather, if Tom had his way, they would be kneeling to Hadrian too.
Has there ever been a Slytherin Consort? He should investigate the study of Salazar when he was in the Chamber, and he could bring Hadrian with him! Hadrian would probably love the Chamber, and he could officially introduce him to the Basilisk.
Pleased with his plan of wooing Hadrian, he tuned into the sorting, clapping for every new First year sorted into Slytherin. After the regular sorting, Headmaster Dippet stood. Many expected a small speech before they could eat, but Tom knew something else was going to happen.
''Welcome everyone for another year at Hogwarts. I'm glad to see you safe and well after the last troubling months. Before we can continue with the feast, we have someone to be sorted not in their first year, but rather in their sixth year.'' Whispering immediately started, and everyone was looking around as if to see who was going to be sorted.
Tom barely hid his sneer, pathetic children, hoping for a new plaything to gossip about. Hadrian was his . And soon, everyone would know that fact.
Tom scoffed when he even saw a Gryffindor second-year standing on his seat to look around for the new student. Hadrian was still in the antechamber, waiting until being called.
Dippet turned to the entrance of the antechamber and waved his hand in a come here motion before speaking. ''Welcome, Hadrian Peverell. Please take a seat on the stool so you can be sorted.''
Hadrian walked out, and Tom pursed his lips to stop his smirk. Hadrian walked in with a grace some purebloods still hadn't mastered, but Tom knew that Hadrian had only recently started with his posture. Maybe the man was naturally graceful, or perhaps it was the hours on a broom. If Hadrian had his way, he would live in the air. Tom never truly understood the passion some had for Quidditch. He just didn't understand how it could be fun to balance on a broom many meters in the air and be in a game where people were trying to hit you with hard balls.
But he had watched Hadrian fly during summer and was impressed. Hadrian came alive in the air, and seeing it was magnificent.
Hadrian took a seat on the three-legged stool, and Dumbledore put the hat on his raven-colored hair.
Tom was almost giddy with excitement at having Hadrian in Slytherin. He was still debating if they should reveal that Hadrian could speak to snakes too when the unthinkable happened.
The hat's mouth ripped open, and out it came a laugh. Shocking most of the students, Tom couldn't remember if he had ever heard the hat laugh. ''Please visit me soon, Mr. Peverell, for I find myself quite curious to know what will happen! Better be GRYFFINDOR!''
Tom gaped for a second before his mask was back in place, and he started fuming.
That little shit. All their plans went down the drain because he was sorted into GRYFFINDOR of all places! He will pay for this!
Could it be that Dumbledore had left an impression while Hadrian had been with him? Had Dumbledore found out about their plans and obliviated Hadrian?
There were so many scenarios that Tom was at a loss, but he kept his eyes on the time-traveling pillock that just crashed his hopes and dreams. The man had promised Dumbledore's downfall, and now what? Now they weren't even going to be in the same dorms!
Hadrian took off the hat and looked to the Slytherin table, found Tom's eyes, and smirked before turning to his new Red and Golden house, leaving a fuming future Dark Lord.
Harry's POV;
Meeting with Dumbledore while he wanted to rip the man's chest open and pull out his beating heart was a tad awkward.
He had just met the man but Dumbledore had looked him up and down and immediately tried to weasel his way into Harry's mind before Harry pushed him out harshly.
''It's quite rude to invade someone's mind and privacy without an as you please, don't you think so, Professor?'' Harry asked while raising his eyebrow. Dumbledore seemed chastised, but Harry could see the displeasure in his eyes.
''I'm sorry, Mr. Peverell, but I wondered if you could tell me where you have lived, you see, I've always been interested in the older families, and I thought Peverell had died out many years ago,'' Dumbledore responded with a friendly smile and that annoying twinkle in his eyes.
Harry raised his eyebrow before looking away as soon as he felt a breach in his head, knowing it was Death and not wanting Dumbledore to see anything wrong. Harry was still adjusting to the deity that sometimes popped into his head.
''Master, he is after the Hallows, do not let him get them.'' Death told him in his regular monotone voice.
''I won't,'' Harry replied to his mental companion. He had difficulties at the beginning of their bond to communicate with Death, but as Death's Master, he was slowly becoming used to the deity in his mind. Death never rummaged through his memories or abused his power. He just occasionally popped in to give Harry some advice. Mostly to curse Tom, which was pretty funny, so Harry accepted it without complaint.
Death really didn't like Tom for creating Horcruxes even if this Tom had just made one. It was still one too many according to Death, which, point.
''My family went into hiding several years ago when Grindelwald was sniffing around our family. Apparently, he's interested in old families as well.'' Harry commented, not looking at Dumbledore but knowing he had hit a sensitive subject. Of course, he couldn't let Dumbledore know too early about his plans. But he could play a bit with him.
''I see-'' Dumbledore seemed to hesitate, and Harry looked at the professor only to see a frozen smile that was quickly shaken off his face before morphing into somewhat casual. ''-and why are you now joining the sixth year at Hogwarts? I understood from the correspondence with the Headmaster that you had sat your OWLs at the Ministry and had been homeschooled.''
''Because my parents were killed,'' Harry replied curtly, making his displeasure known and shifting a bit as if emotional.
''I'm so sorry, my boy. I truly hope you will find friends and maybe family within these walls. This can be your new home.'' Dumbledore said sounding so sincere that Harry could only compliment the guy.
If Harry had been a few years younger and didn't already know about the manipulative Deputy headmaster and Transfiguration teacher, he would have believed the words with the desperation of an Orphan and clung to the hope of a better life.
Now he needed to play that exact part for Dumbledore to trust him.
''Thank you, sir.'' He swallowed heavily and blinked a couple of times extra. Hoping he wasn't laying it on too thick. ''You have no idea how much that means to me.'' He said in a soft voice. Dumbledore seemed to soften a bit and reached out and patted his shoulder. Harry wanted to shy away from the touch but instead leaned into it, making Dumbledore believe he was desperate for his touch.
Mentally he was chanting at himself not to vomit.
Dumbledore's betrayal had hit him hard, and after his farce of a trial in his own time, his image of Dumbledore had been even further tainted. He had read Rita Skeeter's book about Dumbledore and was not above it to use some of the facts from that same book. Rita was known for her dramatic writing, of course, but a lot out of Dumbledore's book was apparently true.
Dumbledore steered him towards the antechamber, where he was told to wait until the first years had been sorted and until he was called.
It took some time, but then Headmaster Dippet beckoned him into the Great Hall, welcoming him with a smile.
Harry glanced around the Great Hall and was surprised to see so many faces. In his time, there had been a couple of hundred students, but when he looked around now, he was sure there were at least double as many.
Dumbledore smiled while placing the hat on his head, and Harry nodded his head in acknowledgment.
'Well, well, well, aren't you an interesting creature.'
Harry smiled a bit. 'It has been a long time, my friend,'
The hat tsk'd in his head, and Harry chuckled. 'You have led an.. interesting life. And you're planning so much more.'
'I am, but before you put me with the snakes, could you please consider the Lion's den instead?'
The hat spluttered. 'But you would be great in Slytherin! My first assessment wasn't wrong in your own time and certainly isn't wrong now!'
'I don't doubt you,' Harry rushed to reply, 'but well, you know what happened with the Old Goat in my time, and wouldn't it just be grand to see him fall from his pedestal from his own house?' Harry added cheekily. The Hat burst out in laughter that rang through the hall, and Harry grinned.
''Please visit me soon, Mr. Peverell, for I find myself quite curious to know what will happen! Better be GRYFFINDOR!'' The Hat yelled, and Harry couldn't help himself from glancing at Tom and shooting him a smirk. He saw the Slytherin Prefect glaring at him, and it was pretty clear he would pay for this stunt, one way or another.
But being sorted in Gryffindor just felt right, he knew that he could've survived in Slytherin, but he knew Gryffindors, and he knew people who had been manipulated by Dumbledore, he could really mean something to these children. So it felt right to do this, to be a Gryffindor again. Dumbledore needed to be torn down, and Harry could get close to him like this before they made their move to stop the asshole from getting popular. And if he was capable enough to sway Gryffindors to his hand so they won't be manipulated by the Old Goat? Well, not that Dumbles was that old right now, but that was irrelevant. The fury Tom will throw at him would be worth it.
He made his way to the Red and Gold table, who were clapping enthusiastically. A couple of boys that seemed 16 were waving him down. Harry was 19, but well, with his stunted growth, he didn't look like the part. Thank you again, Dursley's, he thought sarcastically.
He shook himself out of his thoughts and made his way quickly to their part of the table with a big grin.
''Hi, I'm Hadrian Peverell. Well met.'' Harry said, for the first time, not stumbling over his name, but thankfully, Harry could be some sort of nickname.
''Well met. I'm Billius Weasley-'' The read head said. He didn't look a lot like the Weasleys of his own timeline, except for the hair, but Harry thought this could be Arthur's brother, he only knew that the man had died before the first wizarding war and had been a lot older than Arthur, but to be as old as Tom.. well, he hadn't expected that. The boy was oblivious to his inner musings and started pointing out others that sat with them. ''-This is Hector Blackwell,'' Harry didn't know that name and was curious if the boy was a half-blood or muggle-born. The boy was smiling crookedly and shot him a wink from beneath his curly brown hair. Harry just smiled back at him. ''Pollux McLaggen-'' That name did ring a bell, and Harry fought to keep the smile on his face. The boy looked a lot like his grandson, with blonde curly hair, blue eyes, and a pompous attitude that could put Malfoy to shame. ''And last but not least, Charlus Potter, oh, you two look a bit alike while sitting next to each other,'' Weasley said, a bit perplexed, and Harry's eyes grew wide while he quickly looked to his other side to look at his great uncle. He knew from the lessons he had with Neville about his Pureblood line that his grandfather was already graduated, but next to him was the younger Potter, and holy shit, yeah, he did look a bit like him.
They had the same unruly hair; only Charlus's was a bit longer and leaned to brown instead of Harry's dark black locks. His eyes were the color of chocolate, and the grin he wore hadn't graced Harry's face for a long time.
''Wow, we could be brothers!'' Charlus said with a laugh, making the others laugh too. Harry looked around him, clearly missing the joke. Charlus saw him looking and leaned closer to explain. ''I already have a brother, Fleamont, but he was a bit of a stick in the mud while at Hogwarts. I like to think I'm nothing like him.''
Harry smiled at him. ''I believe the Peverells married into the Potter family a few generations ago, so that kind of makes us cousins?'' He said hesitantly. The group of boys snorted.
''Almost every pureblood is related, so that isn't news,'' Weasley said with a wave of his hand. Harry could only concede to that point. Weasley then pointed to another group of boys of their age. ''They are in another dorm, but because we were with just four, you will be bunking with us! Those are Yusuf Kama, Algie Longbottom, Percy MacMillan, Logan Paril, and Henry Travers.''
The other boys waved at them but were clearly a friend group not as close to the boys' Harry was seated with. They then pointed to the girls of their year but were interrupted by another voice. ''Mr. Peverell-'' The voice triggered an instant reaction in Harry to sit correctly before he turned wide eyes towards the girl in question. It cost Harry some serious effort not to gape at the sight in front of him. ''-my name is Minerva McGonagall. I'm the head girl of Gryffindor. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact me.'' She said with an air of feeling important with her role. Harry couldn't help but think back to Percy Weasley when he had made Headboy.
''Thank you, I will remember that.'' He said with a nod. She seemed pleased with his answer and turned back to her food. Harry felt quite ravenous, too, and started eating, the conversations flowing easily around him.
He just knew that he wouldn't have had that at the Slytherin table. He would've needed to be on his toes constantly with them. He would've needed to speak like a diplomat, and that really wasn't his style, truly, what were he and Tom thinking of getting him sorted in Slytherin?
Harry also could feel the eyes of Tom boring into his skull, but he ignored it while joking with his new roommates. He would meet the girls of his year and house tomorrow, as it seemed like they were busy catching up after the summer hols.
Because it was a Wednesday today, they would have classes first thing tomorrow. It had been quite a shock that there were more classes available now than there had been in his time.
He had taken his OWLs with the Ministry for the basic classes, which was a pain because he already went through his OWLs and NEWTs, but his records obviously didn't follow him. Harry was curious about Magical theory. Thankfully he didn't need an OWL to continue with that class for the sixth-year curriculum. So Tom had brought him up to speed during the summer.
There were other classes he thought would be nice, but he didn't have the necessary OWLs. But if he stayed in this time and they won against Grindelwald, he could always take them at another time and self-study.
He let a soft smile grace his lips, thinking about Hermione and her rants about the importance of studying.
Would she have been proud? Or would she have been disgusted that he was teaming up with Riddle? For some reason, he didn't think so. If Tom and Hermione had met, he likes to think they would've gotten on quite well because of their intellect. The only problem would've been that Hermione was a Muggle-born. Maybe it was more accurate that they would've been rivals.
His dorm was almost the same as he had when he went to Hogwarts in his own time, Weasley, Potter, and Blackwell welcomed him warmly and chatted a lot with him, and maybe it was his own fault, but he couldn't warm up to McLaggen. Not that he even tried, he was too busy boasting about how his dad had just gotten a promotion or something.
They played some Exploding Snap, and Harry felt very grateful that he knew the rules from his own time.
When his head finally hit the pillow, he had a smile on his face and couldn't wait for the rest of the year.
The next morning he was extremely glad for his silencing wards because he may or may not have yelled like a girl when he woke up to two eyes the size of tennis balls which were on the verge of crying after he yelled and started cursing.
''Mipsy is s-s-sorry, but Mast-Master T-tom needed Mipsy to wake Master H-harry,'' The elf cried, and Harry did his best to console the loyal little elf.
''It's okay, Mipsy! What does Tom need?'' Harry asked after Mipsy had calmed down somewhat.
''Master Tom asks Master Harry to join him in Come and Go room,''
Harry groaned he knew that Tom was pissed, of course, but he seriously didn't want to receive Tom's ire first thing in the morning.
But Harry needed to inform him about the change of plans and sort it out just a little. Not that Harry couldn't make a plan himself! But, well... Maybe he was just a bit impulsive—just a smidge.
And Tom was the Heir of Slytherin, the most Slytherin to slither. He would know what they needed to do now.
So Harry reluctantly got dressed and left a note for his dorm mates that he couldn't sleep any longer and went to explore the castle before breakfast.
When he reached the Seventh-floor corridor, he saw there was already a door waiting for him and made his way through it. Only to be hexed as soon as he set foot inside.
''OWH! You-'' Harry ducked out of the way of a purple spell and decided that Tom was mad enough to only curse him right now, so he just gave it as good as it could get.
Tom had improved by leaps and bounds this summer during training. He couldn't defeat Harry just yet, but it won't take long before he could, and to be honest, Harry was a bit afraid that if Tom still went al Voldermort-y in the future that he would be so much better than the old Voldemort.
They traded spells that got more vicious as they went on, Harry dodging spells and keeping on the move while Tom tried to keep standing at the same spot as much as possible, well, until Harry blasted him against the wall and pinned him there.
''What-'' Harry was panting and was bent over with his hands on his knees. ''Why could I pin you against- against the wall?'' He asked like he always did after a duel.
Tom was clearly cooling down a bit because he wasn't spitting his answer but replied rather calmly, even if Harry could see his chest moving rapidly. ''I dodged to the left after you cast that white spell. Was it Finite ? And ran straight into you, Everte Statum , and then you used Epoximise to glue me to the wall.'' Tom drawled, and Harry applauded sarcastically, which made Tom scowl.
''Yes, it was Finite. I was targeting for you to step out of the way because you wouldn't recognize it. If overpowered, Finite is visible, but just with regular use, you won't see a thing. That's why I was pretty sure you wouldn't recognize it until it was too late.'' Harry explained, getting more excited, he loved explaining how he dueled, especially with someone like Tom, who knew a thing or two himself.
''Clever, I'm even more curious about your explanation as to wHY THE BLOODY HELL YOU GOT SORTED IN GRYFFINDOR!?!''
Ah, there was the anger he had been expecting. Harry flinched from Tom's hard voice and smiled a bit unsurely. ''Uh, well, I met Mulciber, who is an arse, by the way, and I thought, do I really want to be in a dorm with other Pureblood snobs for the next two years? And my answer was no. And how funny will it be if we take Dumbles down with his own manipulated sheep? If I manage to get the Gryffindors on my side, just think about the possibilities for the future! We can make Light and Dark work together! We can create balance!'' Harry gushed and mostly hoped Tom bought it.
Tom looked him in the eye before his eyes rolled back in his head, and he started bashing his head against the wall. ''Irresponsible, impulsive, naive pillock! I hate you,'' Tom said, and Harry smiled.
''Hate you too,'' Harry chirped.
Ever since their meeting, they traded barbs, names, and I hate you's as much as possible.
It had lost its true meaning.
''You're lucky that you have me. Otherwise, you would be stupid enough just to tell the Gryffindors how you hate Dumbledore and how you want to bring him down while they still want to kiss his wrinkled arse!''
Harry scrunched up his nose. ''I really didn't need a mental image.''
Tom painted a sweet innocent smile on his face, and if Harry didn't know him, he almost believed it.
''Hadrian. Can you tell me why I'm STILL GLUED TO THE WALL?!'' Tom bellowed, and Harry shouldn't enjoy riling Tom up like this, but well, Tom was the same to him.
Harry grinned. ''Would be a fantastic prank to leave you like that. I think I would win bonus points in the dorms. Just imagine; 'Hey guys, I just pinned Tom Riddle to the wall and had my wicked way with him-'' Harry choked and blushed to the roots of his hair, he shouldn't be allowed to speak out loud, oh Merlin! He couldn't believe he just said that!
In a mild panic, he waved his wand at Riddle to cancel his spell. Riddle was looking at him with a smirk that should be illegal, and Harry quickly averted his eyes.
''I meant with, uh, wicked way, Hexes, obviously, heh, yeah, oh my god, don't kill me.'' He blabbered, not knowing if he could even get more embarrassed. Harry put his head in his hands, praying for the ground to swallow him up.
''Sure about that, Hadrian? You seem a bit flustered.'' Tom whispered in his ear, making Harry jump.
''YeaH! I'm not gay!'' Harry retorted. Tom would back up for sure! And Harry wasn't gay, so what if he thought Tom was handsome, Cedric was handsome too, Sirius in some way, oh and Bill Weasley-, huh. Harry probably needed to stop thinking about handsome men.
Tom frowned. ''I can see you're just embarrassed. I wouldn't call you gay. You're not happy enough for that?'' He sounded a bit confused, but Harry was confused now too.
''Uh, what?''
Tom sighed and rolled his eyes. ''Gay means happy or cheerful. What did you think it meant?''
Could the Room of Requirement make him invisible for the rest of his life? Or could he possibly call the cloak? He should ask Death when they spoke again.
''Uh, well, gay in my time meant a man only attracted to other men.'' Harry stammered out, not looking at Tom at all.
Tom chuckled, and Harry shivered from the sound. He was still rather close. ''I wouldn't call myself 'gay' as you phrase it, more something as flexible. If someone's attractive, they are just that, attractive. But that doesn't mean I want to touch them.''
Harry filed that information somewhere behind his Occlumency shields.
''And you, Hadrian-'' Tom's hands were suddenly on his waist, Harry knew Tom was close with the whispers in his ear, but he hadn't expected this and almost yelped. ''-are just that, attractive, and I wouldn't mind touching you.''
Harry blanked. What did someone say to something like that?!
''Uh, but I-I'm not, attra-'' Tom chuckled and leaned in, his chest pressed against Harry's back. Shit, Tom could tell when Harry was lying. Since WHEN WAS HE ATTRACTED TO TOM!??
His traitorous mind supplied that it had been since he was twelve.
''You hate me! Why would you even want to do s-stuff with me of all people?!'' Harry said in a higher pitch when Tom's hands squeezed his waist, he could feel every breath Tom took, and it was hard to concentrate.
''Oh, yes, I hate you. I even despise you-'' Harry breathed out in relief, Tom would push him away any second, hex him and laugh at him, that would- ''-but that wouldn't mean I wouldn't want to blow you.''
Harry choked on air.
How was he supposed to deal with this?!
He wasn't certified to do anything like this with the future Dark Lord, oh Merlin!
Suddenly Tom released him, and Harry stumbled, having leaned closer to Tom than he originally expected.
Tom stepped in front of him with glittering eyes and a mischievous smile.
''But, I will not do anything of the sort until you beg me.''
Harry barked out a laugh that was a bit too maniacal.
''I'll never beg you for sex, Tom,'' Harry said while shaking his head. Tom was still smirking, not at all insulted.
''We'll see.''
Hogwarts in the 1940s was different from his own time, but Harry liked it well enough, he didn't have his friends with him, but that didn't matter. He was finding new friends in Billius Weasley, Hector Blackwell, who was indeed a Muggle-born, and Charlus Potter. Getting closer to Charlus was definitely weird because they still were part of the same family. Harry never even had any family. Well, at least he didn't count the Dursleys. Not that they deserved the title in any way.
Pollux McLaggen was with them most of the time, but he was more interested in trying and flirting with the whole population of Hogwarts.
Tom and he were meeting three times a week for dueling, sometimes in the Chamber, but most of the time in the ROR - as Dumbledore was keeping an annoyingly close eye on Tom. Tom hadn't brought up his preposterous proposition thankfully, Harry didn't think he could survive if he did.
They had classes together, but because Harry was still establishing himself within Gryffindor, they weren't associating within lessons. The other Gryffindors were wary of Tom because of Dumbledore, but much to his astonishment, when some of the boys told him that Riddle was of the wrong sort after a fourth-year girl was gushing over Riddle's looks, McGonagall, of all people, told them off, telling how Riddle was always helping others with their homework and put in extra hours to make the schedule for patrolling with the Prefects. Yeah, this was weird.
But Tom and Harry also wouldn't put fuel to the fire of the Gryffindor-Slytherin feud. Too much protest from the Gryffindors. The Slytherins all listened to Tom, of course. Only Tom never had an active part in the rivalry.
What his absolute favorite class was, wasn't a surprise, but it was a surprise how much he loved their teacher.
Defense against the Dark Arts had never ever seen such a teacher in his years at Hogwarts, and he had seriously missed out!
Professor Merrythought was a formidable woman, old as fuck, but could blast you to the other side of the classroom without even lifting her wand. She was fucking crazy, and Harry adored her.
After explaining in the first lessons how they needed to cast silently this year, she explained the spell they were going to practice and then started firing stinging hexes at the students who still were talking. It was awesome!
Mostly Harry thought that was awesome because Harry could cast most spells wordlessly and wandlessly, and it didn't escape his teacher's eye either. He quickly became one of her favorite students, unfortunately sharing that place with Tom.
She fired random curses during her lectures to make sure everybody was paying attention and if their shields were up to par.
She was almost ninety and just started thinking about resigning this year.
''Today, class, we are doing something different,'' Merrythought announced after everyone was seated. Harry shared a look with Hector, who was seated next to him, excitement brimming through him.
''Today, we are going to hold a small dueling competition within this class. I'll do this with each class. Next week, there will be a dueling competition schoolwide, and only four of each year can enter. You can see today as the first round. The last four will duel against other years. The winner will win five galleons-'' Loud exclamations followed her announcement, and Harry glanced at Tom. He was already looking at him with a smirk. Knowing they would wipe the floor with the others.
''I will judge you on spell casting, originality, creativity, and daring. All your names are in this hat, and everyone will get a chance. After the first round, we will have a small break before we will put the names of the winners in the hat again. We will keep doing this until the last four. They will also duel each other, but mostly to measure their strengths against the strongest and to get tips from me for the tournament next week!''
The hand of a blonde Ravenclaw girl shot up. Harry thought he saw Merrythought roll her eyes before addressing her. ''Yes, Miss Opal?''
''Professor, to duel so much in one day, isn't that dangerous for our magical cores? And draining? The last four will be exhausted and unable to do the rest of their classwork.''
''Miss Opal, we are with thirty students in this class. After the first matches, half will not go to the next rounds, so technically, the last four only have to duer four times. You are all young, but your cores are already fully grown, so I truly don't see any problems.'' Merrythought drawled, making the Ravenclaw girl squeak and blush.
Merrythought then charmed the hat, and names came flying out.
''Hector Blackwell - Gryffindor against Lilith Rore - Ravenclaw,''
Harry watched Hector bow, the Ravenclaw copying him. They were both standing stiffly, probably because of the nerves of going first. Harry saw Hector leaning too much to the right, not in balance, and it would be easy to make him trip. Rore, a girl he had never spoken to before, was left-handed and could be unpredictable with her aim, but her arm was held too high. A Protego wouldn't cover her knees, making them a weak point.
The first duel was over pretty quickly, Hector winning by using a jelly leg jinx, something Rore couldn't protect herself from because of the wrong placement of her wand arm.
It went on like that, Harry finding it amusing to see how others dueled and what could be improved, he was feeling rather warm when Merrythought asked his opinion about a few duels, the same she did with Tom, knowing they were her best students.
Finally, his name was drawn. ''Adam Rosier - Slytherin against Hadrian Peverell - Gryffindor.''
Rosier looked smug, clearly expecting he could take Hadrian. Harry glanced at Tom and saw him covertly shake his head in exasperation.
Ah, Harry was free to do as he pleased if Rosier was being stupid.
Not that Tom controlled him.
Not at all, and it wasn't as if Harry was going to beg Tom for sex. No way. He would never do that.
Never.
Hah, that Tom would even think he would do something like that.
''Begin!'' Merrythought yelled, breaking him out of his embarrassing thoughts.
They both bowed a little bit before they both immediately attacked. Harry sidestepped Rosier's spell and distracted Rosier with a twinkling light he made appear wandlessly above his head before accio-ing Rosier's wand.
It was over within a minute.
''AND THAT'S HOW IT'S DONE! Even if I will dock a few points because there was no drama,'' Merrythought exclaimed, making Harry grin at her. Rosier was fuming, but Harry ignored him and bowed to the applauding class.
After Harry took his seat, it was time for the last first-round duel—meaning Tom's turn.
Tom's POV;
Watching others duel was fascinating as always, even if he could see the mistakes they made and could tell who would lose within the first few seconds of the duel.
Hadrian's duel was over too fast and way too easy for Hadrian. He felt embarrassed for Rosier. He was one of his Knights, after all, even if he already knew that Rosier was more for the political game. Rosier had looked so smug, expecting to win from Hadrian, expecting to win after he had had lessons from Tom on fighting, lessons Tom had gotten from Hadrian himself.
Not that anyone knew about that, but that was neither here nor there.
Now it was Tom's turn.
He was against Charlus Potter. He knew that Charlus was a mostly passive person, wanting to get a Potion Mastery to work with his brother in the family business. He never stood a chance against Tom.
Glancing at Hadrian, he seemed to know that Charlus would lose, of course, he had trained Tom himself, so it wasn't as if he didn't know what Tom was capable of.
They bowed took positions, and Tom was striving to end this quicker than Hadrian had with his own duel.
He cast a quick feather-light charm before casting a Leviosa on Potter's shoes, making the boy shriek in surprise when his shoes were suddenly lighter and flying up. He fell on his back while his feet were going up-up-up. Tom cast a lazy Accio and had Potter's wand in his hand without him even casting a hex at him.
''Good work, Mr. Riddle! Ten points to Slytherin for creativity!'' Tom shot the Professor a shy smile before glancing at Hadrian, who acting like a child with his fake retching. Maybe Merrythought was a bit unfair, but she was a former Slytherin herself, so she gave easier points to Slytherin than Gryffindor, even if Hadrian was becoming one of her favorites.
The second round also went off without a hitch, and Tom was getting a bit giddy, hoping to be put against Hadrian.
Then finally, there were four remaining students. Himself, of course, Hadrian, Alexander Nott, and Emma Wright. Wright was a Muggle-born from Gryffindor, and Tom was surprised that she had come this far.
''Now, the last four are already placed for the schoolwide tournament next week, but they will go against each other today, normally, I would put their names back in the hat so the names will be random, but after seeing everyone today, I want some excitement!'' She declared in her usual manic way.
''Which means I want to put Mr. Nott and Miss Wright against each other, and Mr. Riddle, and Mr. Peverell.'' She was rubbing her hands gleefully against each other, and Tom saw some students shuffling back. Hadrian, in retrospect, seemed to be just as excited as Merrythought.
First, Nott and Wright went to the dueling platform, it was interesting and much better than the others, but ultimately Nott won.
He saw Hadrian whisper something to Wright when she walked past him. She grinned in return, putting a hand on his shoulder before returning to her place. Tom hoped he was put against her next week.
She shouldn't touch something that wasn't hers.
When Hadrian and Tom were in front of each other, they bowed, but before they began, Hadrian started speaking.
''Shall we make it interesting?'' He asked with a savage grin.
Tom raised his eyebrow. ''What do you suggest, Peverell?''
''Let's only cast alphabetically. Let's say I start with A, you with B, etcetera.'' There was a light in Hadrian's eyes that Tom truly liked to see. He hoped he also looked like that on his knees in front of Tom's throbbing cock.
''Oh! What a good idea, Mr. Peverell! 5 points to Gryffindor!'' Merrythought declared. And Tom saw a satisfied smirk on Hadrian's face.
''Fine, I accept.'' Replied in a bored tone, even if he was jumping with glee at the challenge.
''Great, let us start,'' Hadrian said, and they were off.
'' Anteoculatia !'' Hadrian yelled, Tom quickly sidestepped, and Tom retaliated with '' Brachiabindo ,'' hoping to bind Hadrian, but of course, the man was infuriating fast.
They sped up with their casting, mindful of their agreement, even with the spells that were silent.
Harry did hit a snag at Q, and if Tom wasn't a Slytherin, he probably would've laughed.
''Shit! I don't know any spell with a Q! Uh- Quidditch!'' He floundered. Tom's lips twitched.
''What do I even get if you lose Peverell?'' Tom replied, seeing Hadrian's mind spin for a spell starting with a Q. They circled each other, both waiting for the next attack.
''I'll do your homework for a week.'' Hadrian proposed, making Tom scoff.
''Your work is subpar to mine. Why would I agree to that?''
Hadrian grinned. ''Because you are a decent human being?'' He asked innocently. Tom scowled in response.
''Boys, I don't hear any cursing!'' Merrythought broke through their self-inflicted standstill.
Hadrian then got a glaze over his eyes, and Tom knew that Death was making a visit, which was just plain cheating! Death always came up with curses that Tom didn't even know!
''Quadriafiliazich!'' Hadrian cried out. Tom ducked to the side, not knowing the spell or language in which it was shouted. But the spell seemed to follow Tom no matter what he did. When the beam hit, his vision quadrupled, and he got a massive headache.
He groaned but went on with the duel, not wanting to lose to Hadrian in front of everyone. He cast a finite in Parselmagic and was thankful that it worked.
Not that Hadrian could complain because he couldn't out himself as a Parseltongue himself. He smirked at Hadrian, who was narrowing his eyes at Tom before Tom continued with their duel.
After they reached Z, however, all bets were off. Merrythought was yelling things at them like; ''Duck, you moron!'' ''Kindly shut up, Miss Opal, this is the most fun I've had in years!'' ''If he's still standing, are you really putting in any effort?'' ''What does it matter that they are bleeding a bit? They're not killing each other! Well, let's hope not. I don't want a repeat of 1903.''
The woman was insane.
Tom spun to evade Harry's '' Calvario ,'' which, if succeeded, would make Tom bald, and Tom was very, very, very happy with his hair, thank you very much. He blasted Hadrian backward, straight through the anti-hex barrier that was erected around the platform. For a moment, it was silent. He hadn't even noticed the damage the barrier had suffered because of the duel, of course, but Hadrian shouldn't be able to tumble through this barrier.
''Uh, Professor? Is this safe?'' Some girl from Ravenclaw asked nervously, not that Tom wasn't silently asking the same thing.
But Merrythought wouldn't hear it. ''Well! What are you waiting for? Finish him!''
Hadrian took that as a cue to pull Tom to him but cut off the spell before Tom had reached him and ducked out of the way, making Tom careen straight to the door. He blasted it away before tumbling to the ground with a grunt. He had landed a bit painful but was quickly on his feet again, watching an almost blazing Hadrian stalk towards him with his wand out.
The look on Hadrian's face could only mean trouble for Tom because his eyes were glittering madly, and his smirk was too mischievous for anyone good. Tom casted Aquamenti before casting Glacius , both silently to take Hadrian by surprise. He saw Hadrian lose his balance, but the dark-haired man kept standing. He then threw a lasso around Hadrian and pulled.
Hadrian yelped, especially when Tom almost threw him down the stairs, but he quickly dissolved the lasso and jumped from the railing to the stairs with a flip.
''You're such a Gryffindor,'' Tom couldn't help but say with a shaking head and disgust in his voice.
Hadrian clearly took it as a compliment if his grin was any indication. ''And you're such a Slytherin,''
Hadrian was now standing a lot lower when they started dueling because he was still on the stairs. This should mean that Tom would have the upper hand, but they were evenly matched.
Tom ducked, casted spells, and rolled out of the way of another curse thrown by Hadrian. Tom could honestly say that he never had so much fun during class.
''Professor, it's not allowed to cast in the hallways!'' The annoying Ravenclaw girl shrieked at some point.
Tom and Hadrian both rolled their eyes.
''Miss Opal, 10 points from Ravenclaw,'' was the only response from Merrythought before she yelled at Tom and Hadrian again.
''Come on! You're both holding back, you cowards!''
Well, let's have it said that Tom is not a coward in any shape or form.
At some point, seriously, Tom couldn't tell you when it happened, they found themselves in the corridor in front of the great hall, both of them panting but not giving in. Their classmates had followed them. Professor Merrythought was giving a run down from the casting Tom and Hadrian were doing, while the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students were quickly writing everything down while also not wanting to stop watching the duel.
Slytherin and Gryffindor students, however, were egging them both on. Yelling about which spells to use or which side to attack.
It didn't help one iota. So they could better stop because they were pretty distracting.
The doors from the Great Hall busted open when a spell of Hadrian missed Tom. He could hear some shrieks of surprise and fear, but he didn't pay it any mind. He was only focused on Hadrian.
''Don't panic! This is just a little taste of the Dueling competition next week! Buy your tickets in your next Defense class!''
''Professor! It's a school tournament. You can't sell tickets!''
''Watch me!'' Merrythought just replied.
''Constance, casting in the Great Hall is forbidden!'' Dumbledore's voice suddenly broke through Tom's haze of spellfire.
Merrythought immediately replied. ''Oh, lighten up, Albus, these two boys are amazing against each other, and nobody is seriously hurt!''
''Professor!'' Some girl responded, sounding aghast. ''There are three students already in the infirmary from stray spells!''
Oh, Tom hadn't noticed.
Oops?
''Well, it isn't my fault their Protego wasn't up to standards!''
''You're the Defense teacher!''
''20 points from Ravenclaw!''
''Constance-''
Tom drowned Dumbledore's voice out again, not wanting to hear the old man ruin his duel with Hadrian.
Hadrian's reflexed were amazing. It didn't matter what Tom did. He almost seemed like he was dancing through the spells while firing back in favor.
But then, at last, a spell hit, and Hadrian was blasted backward. His wand flew out of his hand, and Tom immediately summoned it to him. For a moment, everyone was silent. Tom's mouth stretched into a grin, knowing he had won the duel.
He aimed both wands at Hadrian with a wicked grin.
''I think I've won,''
Hadrian groaned and threw his head back. Which is a stupid thing to do in a real fight, but for now, Tom would not attack.
Hadrian was lying on the Hufflepuff table. His legs spread while he leaned on his hands.
''Fine, but only because I'm too ti-'' Hadrian couldn't finish his sentence because suddenly a large ripple went through the Great Hall, making Tom take a step back in surprise.
A metal clink sounded through the hall, making everybody present look up at the magical ceiling.
The clouds on the ceiling parted, and a sword fell down at a breakneck speed. The sharp end pointed to the ground, and it almost looked like it was falling straight to Hadrian.
Tom almost shot a spell to the sword that came sailing down, but hesitated momentarily.
The sword embedded itself in between Hadrian's legs, which hadn't moved a centimeter.
''Oh-'' Hadrian uttered before jumping up and grabbing the sword by its hilt. His eyes roved over the sword in his hand, and Tom couldn't do anything but gape at the man. Hadrian was sweaty, his shirt was rolled up at the sleeves, and his tie was lost somewhere in the duel. His hair was in disarray, as always, and his cheeks were a rosy color.
He was a vision for many men and women.
But he was Tom's.
Hadrian's Avada green eyes moved from the ruby-encrusted sword to Tom, and a smirk played over his lips.
''Seems like it's not over just yet,''
Harry's POV;
Holding the Sword of Gryffindor, Harry felt like he was hit by a current of electricity. He didn't know why now, of all times, the sword appeared to him. Maybe Gryffindor really hated to lose his battles if his descendants got swords moments before losing.
But Harry didn't complain. No, he thought this was fucking awesome.
He probably looked so cool, well, at least he hoped he did. He was still pretty skinny and small, but holding a sword did make you ten times cooler than you originally were.
''Seems like it's not over just yet,'' He told Tom with a smirk, making himself ready to attack, even if it was with a sword.
Was it unhinged? Probably.
Was it dangerous? Yes.
Could he get hurt? Most likely.
Was handling a sword a skill he possessed? Probably not. But he did kill a Basilisk that one time with the same sword. That counts for something, right?
Would he get points from Merrythought? Most definitely.
''You can't duel with a sword!'' Tom said indignantly. Glancing at Merrythought as if she would interfere.
''PLEASE DO!'' Merrythought replied, shaking from giddiness as far as Harry could see.
He was slightly startled to see that they had gathered quite an audience. But he put it out of his head.
He pointed the sword to Tom, his left elbow on his chest to steady it, while he drew his other arm back. Making the blade level with his eyes.
''You're mental,'' Tom said, sounding incredulous, but he pointed both wands to Harry.
Tom was just about to throw the first spell when Harry saw it.
Without thinking, he sprinted to Tom and pushed him out of the way, making him fall down the table in shock, not having expected such a direct attack without the sword being in play.
Harry twisted, hoping he could deflect the spell that was heading toward them, but unfortunately, he was too late. The spell hit him full in the chest and threw him against the wall.
Then everything went black.
Soooo! That was it!
And yes, it's somewhat of a cliffhanger, but you know this isn't the story just yet, so you know he's gonna be fine eventually.
What are your speculations on who threw a spell at them?
And Harry really couldn't help himself. He has a problem. A saving people without thinking problem. Should there be an intervention? I think Tom would lead it.
Tom is such a SIMP I fucking love it.
Do I sound unhinged? Cause if so, it's probably because I haven't slept or done anything I had on my list to do today.
So ya know, happy thoughts because I have finished a chapter! YEAS!
Please let me know what you thought 'bout the new chapter!
xx MBlack93
P.S. I LOVE MERRYTHOUGHT LIKE THIS! A BADASS SENIOR WHOSE FUCKING UNHINGED AND CRAVING VIOLENCE!
HAHAHA